Re-designing your office can do wonders for you and your team’s creativity. This can assist in promoting productivity and workplace satisfaction. To keep yourself and your team inspired, consider taking the following steps when re-designing your office.
Think about space
Planning should keep in mind the space you have for re-designing. Whether the purpose of your re-design is to declutter, redecorate or to replace, don’t ever compromise the space. Think about the space you need for sending and receiving work, room for desks and areas for meeting rooms in the workplace. If you still have some space remaining, have an area for employees to relax and take breaks from work. When redecorating, consider electric outlets, double-check for safety measures and work with the budget. Consider having management offices open so that employees feel that they can come to them for help. This vulnerability in leadership can increase communication and productivity.
Plan the theme of your office
Know the colours that work for you. Choose tones that inspire a calm mind and help you to be productive. You may play around with your company logo colour or even combine it with the Pantone Colour of the year. Your office will stand out and you will impress yourself and your team as you embrace what’s trending and inspiring. Still not convinced? How about matching your brand to your office. For example, if you’re a travel agency, then make it well-lit and have a display of airline goods or a travel map. Just a reminder, don’t overdo it. Or else, you might end up looking like a souvenir shop. On the other hand, if you’re a fashion designer or a retailer, you can get creative around the use of fabrics and colour.
Shopping
Stick to your budget and choose materials that won’t get worn out too easily or too quickly. Take your time in comparing wallpapers and paint colours, as this design will be around for a long time. Choose carpets that can be vacuumed and shampooed easily. Invest in good seats that aid your back when sitting for long periods and for accommodating your clients. Lastly, get a trustworthy computer and have a back-up of all your files.
Declutter
Before going straight into getting things done, Marie Kondo suggests decluttering first before anything else. Giving up unnecessary items will help to clear your space and in turn, your mind. Put everything together in one place, so you know what you have. Start with papers and then take the time to shred any information you no longer need. Next, go through your collection of books, stationery and any other miscellaneous items. Making space for new items is encouraged. Decluttering also allows you to find many hidden treasures or things you may have forgotten about. By having a space free of mess and distractions, you will generate a high performance team.
Getting things done
Don’t limit yourself to getting professionals to help you in this stage. It’s better to put up with re-designing your office with a reasonable budget. You must make sure that you are happy with your design. Remember, it’s you who will be dealing with it almost every day. It should be safe, speak in volumes of who you are and most of all, cater to the business or brand you’re working for.
Rearrange
Sometimes, what a room needs consists of just rearranging the furniture, adding or moving some lamps, and a good reception area. Match the office layout with the movement and flow of the people working in it. That way, it caters more efficiently to the people working there. When the layout is wrong, you will find yourself and your employees hide in their cubicles most of the time. This can result in a breakdown of teamwork, communication and social skills. This can then lead to decreased productivity. By implementing these ideas, however, you can improve the morale of a business.
